


Smooth As Tofu

by fangirllifu



Series: 2Love Menu [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Canon, Romance, Slow Burn, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 11:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28544979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirllifu/pseuds/fangirllifu
Summary: Who would've thought, the ever-stoic Kita Shinsuke could show so much emotion, all for one girl. Watch out everyone, 'cause you never know when you'll end on the receiving end of his cold logic.*Takes place Pre-Canon, then connects to the timeline.*I'll edit the tags accordingly as the story progresses.
Relationships: Inarizaki Volleyball Club & Original Character(s), Kita Shinsuke/Original Female Character(s), Miya Atsumu & Original Female Character(s)
Series: 2Love Menu [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091261
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

First day in a new school has never been, and will never be easy. The people who are able to function normally in such a situation are monsters, and are not to be trusted. Because how do you just instantly adjust, especially if there isn't a single person you knew from your previous school.

Thus is the current dilemma of one **Tsubame Emi,** First Year at Inarizaki High.

She might appear calm on the outside, but she's frantically crying inside as she nears the school. No one's going to notice of course, having a calm composure at all times is a trait that runs in the family after all. She might not know how her three years in this school will go, but one thing's for sure. She's determined to be the manager for the Boys Volleyball Club.

Because, that's the only way she'll be able to watch the matches, without having to come up with an excuse, as to why she absolutely has to miss school.

As she steps foot on school campus, she's immediately swallowed in by the crowd. It never seizes to amaze her how the students could get so enthusiastic over member recruitments every new school year. Emi swiftly maneuvered her way through the crowd, declining club member offers whilst looking out for the Volleyball Club's booth. She'd just gotten out of the crowd and was about to sigh in relief, when she suddenly bumped into someone.

"See, I told you to watch where you're going." A voice chided.

"Hmph." And another scoffed.

"Oh! I'm so sorry." Emi said with a bow of her head.

"It's fine. It was this guys fault anyway. You alright there?" One of them said which caused her to raise her head and look at them.

 _"Twins?"_ She thought for a second, before remembering she was asked a question.

"Ah! Yes, thank you for asking." Emi answered nodding her head.

"That's good. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen on the first day now would we? I'm sorry by the way." The one she bumped into said.

"Oh no, it's alright." Emi said with a smile as she waved her hand in a _'don't mind'_ motion.

"So are you looking to join a club or just wanting to get away from the crowd?" The blond one asked.

"Yep! I'm actually looking for the volleyball club's booth." Emi answered happily, remembering her original purpose.

"You play?" The grey haired one asked intrigued, but both of them seemed to be equally interested.

"Not professionally, unfortunately, my body can't handle it. I just play occasionally with my brother and his friends. I was actually looking to apply as a manager. Do you guys play?" Emi explained and returned the question.

"We do! And we were just on our way to the booth to meet with an upperclassman we know. You can join us if you want." The blond one offered as he pointed in a random direction.

"That'd be great, thanks!" Emi replied gratefully as she followed after the two.

"The name's Miya Atsumu, by the way. And this is my brother, Osamu. You can just call us by our first names so it doesn't get confusing." Atsumu said as Osamu raised his hand in greeting.

"You a first year too?" Osamu asked as they walked the grounds.

"Yeah, Oh! Tsubame Emi. Nice to meet you Atsumu-san, Osamu-san." She beamed a smile as she slightly bowed her head.

"You too Emi-chan~" Atsumu answered in the same manner.

Emi didn't mind his overly friendly nature, as he looked like the type to do whatever he wants regardless of what you say. The three of them walked around for a bit before the twins saw someone they seemed to recognize.

"Aran-san!" Atsumu yelled and waved his hand when the person mentioned saw him.

"Ah! Atsumu, Osamu. You guys here to sign up?" Ojiro waved his hand back in acknowledgement.

"Yep." Osamu affirmed.

"Right! Oh? Who's this?" Ojiro questioned taking notice of the girl half hiding behind Osamu.

"Oh yeah! This is Tsubame Emi. She said she wanted to apply for the manager position, so we brought her along." Atsumu answered to which Emi stepped out from behind Osamu and bowed her head in respect.

Emi was scanning the collection of members on the booth, when she made eye contact with dull brown eyes that seemed to see through her. Startled, she looked away and instead focused on someone that stepped forward.

"You are?" One of them asked in interest which earned a nod from the girl in question.

"That's great! To think that I'll be able to experience having a manager before I retire. Thank you very much!" Someone exclaimed in excitement with a bright smile on his face as he looked up at the sky.

"You sound like an old man, Captain." A member chided, which earned a glare from said Captain.

"Anyway, I'm the Captain, Yukimura Nogi. For now, you guys can fill up these forms and hand them to me later when school ends. We'll be having a meeting in the first gym, where you'll get to meet the coaches and the rest of the members. That's all. You guys should go, we wouldn't want you to be late for the assembly now would we?" Nogi said, handing them the forms.

The three of them took the forms from the third year's hands and bowed their heads, before making their way towards the gym for the assembly.

"Seems like we have promising recruits this year. We even have someone apply as a manager." Said Nogi as he looked at the retreating forms of the three and remembering the others that came before them.

"I know you like the idea of having a manager and I do too, after all it lessens our load. But you better not forget to ask her the important question. We don't have a need for an incompetent manager." Another third year reminded.

"Yeah, yeah." Nogi answered dismissively with a wave of his hand.

—~~~—

Formalities on the first day had finally finished, the twins were currently waiting on the side, a little away from the lockers near the exit, for our fox princess. They thought about going to pick her up at her classroom, but then realized that they didn't know where hers was. A wave of students passed and finally they caught a glimpse of familiar shoulder-length wavy brown hair. They walked and stopped in front of her to catch her attention.

Emi stopped when she saw two pairs of feet in front of her, looking up, recognition flashed in her features.

"Hey guys! You heading there now?" She asked, smiling up at the two.

"Yeah, we were just waiting for you." Osamu answered.

"You were? You didn't have to, but thank you. Shall we go?" Emi said gratefully and ushered the two to move so they wouldn't be late.

On the way to the gym, they came across a few of their fellow first years also signing up to the club and got to know each others' name.

The upperclassmen and their coaches were already at the gym, they arrived early to discuss while waiting on the first years. The doors opened to the chatter of the last of the first years to arrive, just in time.

"You're quite tall aren't you, Tsubame-san." Ginjima voiced as they stepped foot inside the gym.

"It's probably 'cause she's active." Osamu noted.

"You play?" Suna turned to Emi with a brow raised in question. "Volleyball?"

"Yes, but not professionally." Emi answered.

"Oh? Why not?" Kosaku asked.

"I have a weak constitution. I play occasionally, but not for long periods." Emi explained, earning nods of understanding all around the group.

The rest, having overheard their conversation, turned towards their Captain and the Coaches.

"Guess we don't need to question her about experience then, Coach?" Nogi commented as the first years approached them and lined up with the others. He turned to the Coach for confirmation and earned himself a satisfied nod.

 _"So we've secured our manager. Now let's see who makes the cut."_ He thought as he scanned the new recruits and clapped his hands loudly to gain their attention.

"Alright, welcome first years. I'm the Captain, Yukimura Nogi, and this is the Head Coach, Kurosu Norimune-sensei and Assistant Coach, Oomi Tarou-sensei. We'll be assessing you all for the remainder of practice. Let's start with warm ups first." Nogi said and signaled the rest of the third years to assist.

"Oh and Tsubame-san, if you could come over here please." He called and Emi approached the three. When she arrived, the Captain and Coach Oomi excused themselves to watch over the members and their new recruits.

"Your name, young lady?" Coach Kurosu asked.

"Tsubame Emi, sensei." Emi said bowing in respect.

"You play volleyball?" He questioned.

"Yes!" Emi answered.

"What position?" He further inquired.

"Oh, I don't exactly have a specialty. I mainly played what was needed to complete the roster. So you could say I have experience in playing as every position, can't say I'm good at all of them though." Emi explained with an air of calmness.

"I see. You know how to do managerial duties, then?" Kurosu-sensei confirmed just to be sure.

"Yep! No problem." Emi answered with a smile.

"Good. Here. Help me record their tests." He nodded in approval and handed her a clipboard and a pen.

"Aye Sir!" Emi exclaimed, saluting with full enthusiasm which caused the Coach to chuckle at the earnest girl.

They conducted various physical tests, which included measuring their stamina and endurance along with their Jumping/Vertical reach, to which were all recorded by Emi as instructed by Coach Kurosu. Lastly the Coach ordered a practice match between the first years and regulars of the team.

Emi observed the game and all the players with laser focus. Coach Kurosu took notice of the girl and the occasional scribbling she was doing.

"So what do you think?" He asked wanting her opinion, while still keeping a keen eye on the players.

"We have a really well grounded team, they're all so impressive. As for the first years, the Miya twins sure stand out without a doubt. They're incredibly skilled and so in tune with each other. The others show promise too, like Suna. His flexibility allows him to increase the range of his spikes, all without having to sacrifice its power. They're all so fascinating. You must be proud sensei." Emi commented with a dazzling smile as she continued to watch the game.

Coach Kurosu turned to look at the girl beside him in wonder. Her love for the sport could be seen clearly with how she described the players, and how she was buzzing with energy despite not playing on the court with the others.

 _"They're not the only ones that are fascinating, my dear. It seems an unimaginable gift has been given to us this year."_ He thought as he turned back to paying attention to his players.

—~~~—

Practice had ended on a relatively good note. The Coaches and Emi were able to gather a lot of information that will be put to good use in the future. But for now that was all. They cleaned up the gym, changed and started making their way home. The remaining 1st years were chatting idly and getting to know each other as they walked towards the school gates, their upper classmen right behind them watching in fondness at their adorable children.

"Hey! What class are you guys in?" Emi asked, and was answered with a chorus of numbers.

"1"

"3"

"2"

"2"

"1"

"Awe~ Unfair most of you are classmates." Emi said dejectedly, she had hoped to have at least one of them with her earlier today. It would've made her feel at ease to know someone in class, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

"What class are you?" Suna inquired.

"Oh, I'm on Class 7." Emi answered simply, her words caused the guys to falter in their steps.

"C—CLASS 7?!" They shouted in surprise, which looked really comical that it caused the upper classmen behind them to snicker.

"D—Doesn't that mean you're like really, super, extremely, smart?" Kosaku stuttered in awe.

"Huh? I guess….." Emi said confused as to why they were reacting this way.

"You wouldn't mind if I come to you for help when exams come do you?" Suna asked sounding almost near desperate.

"Me too!" The twins exclaimed in unison.

"Uh, Sure, I don't mind." Emi said with a shrug, it wasn't really much of a problem for her after all.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH SENSEI!" They all exclaimed and bowed in front of her in unison, which startled the poor girl.

"You guys, you might want to tone it down a bit. You might scare away our manager before she even starts." Nogi chuckled.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE US ARE YOU?!" They screamed which caused the rest of the third years to guffaw at the incredibility of what was happening.

"Hahaha! No, no." Emi's melodious laugh rang around them and brought huge smiles to their faces.

After all the fiasco, they finally reached the gates and split into groups that were heading the same way.

"Well, we'll see you guys at morning practice tomorrow. Don't be late." Nogi reminded like the good Captain he was and waved goodbye as they all walked on their way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *There weren't a lot of fic pairs of Kita-san being the main when I went on a reading spree, and this popped in my head, so yeah.
> 
> *This is my second time writing for the Haikyuu fandom. If you're curious you can find it in my page, it will connect with this one in the future (as this is Pre-Canon).
> 
> *I appreciate feedback you guys, so please do leave one! I hope you all liked it!
> 
> Thank You!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Information on Tsubame Emi:
> 
> *She has shoulder-length wavy brown hair. Similar to her family, but in a darker shade.
> 
> *Her eyes are big bright chestnut doe eyes, that glow like gems when the sun hits just right. It's Kita's favorite shade of brown, he often gets lost in them.
> 
> *She also has a snaggle-tooth on one side, that's quite pronounced whenever she smiles. Atsumu likes to exploit it, and it's the only thing he gets away with hanging over Kita's head (bribing with pictures).
> 
> *She's the same height as Hoshiumi Kourai at 169.2 cm (5' 6.6"). Which is quite tall, considering the average height of the Haikyuu girls. She's shorter than Kita, who stands at 175. 2 cm (5' 9")

Months of training have passed and sad to say not all the first years stayed on the club. Majority of them ended up quitting from either the intense training, or because of Atsumu's colorful personality. But that's not all that was established within those months.

Unexpectedly, surprising all those who knew him, the ever-stoic **Kita Shinsuke** had taken a liking to our dear Emi-chan. They don't know how it happened or when it even started, but that it just did.

Kita kept on sporadically releasing a dangerous aura whenever someone would get a little too close to the girl. They were sure that he wasn't even aware of what he was doing, but the rest of the volleyball team quickly took notice, heck even the Coaches picked up on it. They couldn't even bring themselves to have the courage to call her by her first name, and just settled for calling her Tsubame-chan. Of course, Atsumu was an exception, as he'd already started calling her by her first name the day they met.

All while this was happening, our fox princess was nothing but oblivious to the matter.

On one very special occasion, Kita's fondness for Emi became known to people outside of the team. And further solidified the team's hunches on where exactly Kita stands with regards to Emi.

The rest of the school was gradually coming to the obvious conclusion that Emi was quite close to the boys of the Volleyball club. And let's just say that there were a few people who were adamant in keeping that from happening. Even though it already has.

Seriously, sometimes you really just can't comprehend how people's brains work to come up with something so idiotic.

It happen at lunch. The twins and Emi were walking through tables at the cafeteria, making their way towards the Volleyball team's table. The twins were in front with Emi following behind them, chatting idly about the practice they had earlier that morning. When suddenly some filthy pig (courtesy of Atsumu), decided that it was such a great idea to dump juice onto Emi's head and had the audacity to look extra smug at what she just did.

Emi's surprised gasp caused the twins in front of her to stop in their tracks and turn around, only to glare at the disgusting waste of space who dared to do that in their presence. The whole cafeteria was suddenly enveloped in cold silence, as the rest of the Volleyball team stood up and made their way towards the commotion. As they got closer, they could see the twins barely holding themselves back from murdering the insolent fool in front of them, can't say they would stop them as they all felt the same.

The Captain's girlfriend Miu, bless her soul, hurriedly took the girl she came to see as a little sister towards the bathroom, all the while glaring daggers at the pretentious witch. Emi, albeit currently having juice running down her face, was quite thankful that it didn't get on her clothes, as that would have been an even bigger problem to deal with. As soon as they were out the door, the boys zeroed in on the girl and her posse behind her who looked quite accomplished for doing something unforgivable.

Nogi was about to lay it down on them, when he was beat to the punch, by Kita freakin' Shinsuke–of all people–stepping forward. Oh, were things about to go down. After all, no one, not even the upper classmen, desired to be on the receiving end of Kita's cold logic. The rest of the students were just watching anxiously, trying not to suffocate from the thickening tension in the room.

"Would you care to explain, as to what made you think what you did was in anyway acceptable?" Kita said with a voice void of all emotion, causing his fellow members to freeze. As they've never heard him speak in that tone before.

"Hmph! She deserved it. She was getting arrogant, thinking she can just get close to you guys." She conceitedly scoffed and earned nods of agreement from the girls behind her.

Atsumu would have to give it to them. No matter how much he wanted to mutilate her and her pack to pieces, they had guts to stand against the highly concentrated murderous aura seeping out of Kita. Either that or they all have feathers for brains. He's betting his money on the latter.

"She most certainly did not deserve what you just did. And she was not getting arrogant about anything, and you know that. Also she's our manager, what makes you think she wouldn't be close with us?" Kita points, knowing well of the baseless claim the pompous girl was sprouting.

"B—But—" She stuttered shaking a little.

Now this was turning amusing for the team. It would appear, that their puny brains have finally picked up on the degree of danger they have placed themselves in. Too bad no one was willing to help them.

"No. You're going to listen and you're going to listen well. This will not happen again, and you and your—" Kita stated, pausing to look pointedly at the group of girls sitting at the table behind her, who visibly flinched.

"—minions are going to stop or else we will have some problems. If I find out that something happened to Emi and any of you were involved. You better be prepared to deal with me. Am I making myself clear?" He declared with absolute promise, narrowing his eyes further to get his point across.

The girl and her posse were too frightened out of their wits, that they just froze under the pressure. This though, did not sit well with Kita.

"I said. Am I making myself clear?" His voice went an octave lower, the underlying threat reverberating through the walls and imprinting on each and every single one of their souls. Causing not just the people involved, but the rest of the students present to nod their heads in understanding as well.

Feeling satisfied, Kita schooled his expression and said "Good. Atsumu, Osamu. Come."

The twins followed after him without a word. When the three of them walked out the doors, the rest of the Volleyball team members, turned to regard the rest of the crowd.

"You'd be wise to listen and follow through with that promise. Because we can guarantee, that he meant every single spoken and unspoken word." Nogi clarified in his Captain voice, before turning to follow after the three with the rest of the team behind him. Leaving the entire cafeteria to mull over what they had just witnessed.

Kita had just indirectly declared Emi as untouchable to majority of the student body. The news would surely travel fast to those who were not present to witness it all happen. Along with the legendary image of an enraged Kita Shinsuke that will forever haunt their very existence. But the Volleyball team could care less about the life-long trauma they had induced on their fellow students, right now their manager needed them more.

—~~~—

Meanwhile, while all that was going down, Miu guided Emi towards the sinks in the bathroom and gently placed her head under the tap. She lightly washed the juice off of Emi's hair. But it was proving to be a bit troublesome, as she'd been under the water for some time now and her hair was still too sticky.

"We might need some shampoo." Miu sighed in resignation as she turned the tap off.

"It's fine Senpai. You can just leave it be. I don't want to bother you anymore than I already have." Emi requested not wanting to trouble the third year any further.

"Nonsense! I'm going to run real quick to the changing rooms okay. I'll be right back." Miu said determined to do just that. She walked out the bathroom and was about to run, when she caught sight of Kita and the Miya Twins coming around the corner in her peripheral view.

"Miu-san, how is she?" Kita called out to her.

"Oh, she's doing alright for the most part. The juice didn't get on her clothes, which is good. But her hair is all sticky from it. I was just going to run to the showers to grab some shampoo. Could you watch the door for me? I don't trust that they won't come after her." She explained pointing in the opposite direction towards the changing rooms.

"Sure Miu-san." Kita agreed, with the twins nodding behind him. Before she left, she knocked on the bathroom door to let Emi know.

"Hey Emi-chan? The guys are right outside the door, so just call them out if you need anything okay? I'm going now." She said quickly then took off.

A few minutes later, the rest of the team came around the corner, just as Miu came running around from the other side. Nogi looked at his girlfriend in surprise, along with the guys that weren't there before.

"What the—" Nogi started.

"No time to explain." Miu cut him off hurriedly as she slammed the bathroom door open. "I'm back, Emi-chan! I got the shampoo. I also grabbed a towel and blow dryer to dry your hair."

The guys could hear her saying and just shrugged as they all stood outside waiting for the girls to come out.

After a few more minutes, Miu came out with a juice-free Emi following after her.

"We're all good. You guys go on ahead. I still have to return this." Miu said to the team, gesturing to the items in her arms, before going on her way and leaving Emi with the guys.

"Here." Kita stepped towards Emi and handed her a sandwich.

"You didn't get to eat anything right. Lunch will end in a few minutes. You should at least eat something, even if it's light." He explained when she showed a confused expression.

"Oh, Thank you Kita-san." Emi bashfully accepted the offer, grateful to the considerate male.

"Are you alright, Tsubame?" Ojiro asked.

"I'm alright, it was just juice. No harm done." Emi answered with a nonchalant shrug.

"That's not good Tsubame-chan. It never should've happened in the first place. Are you sure you're alright?" Nogi argued, genuinely concerned.

"Yep! How can I not be, when I'm surrounded by such incredibly supportive people?" Emi reassured and flashed them a thankful smile, causing the guys to smile back at her.

"Well I suppose we should head back as lunch will end soon. We'll walk you to class Tsubame-chan." Nogi suggested and lead the way.

Emi munched on her sandwich as they walked the halls towards her classroom. Smiling and laughing happily as she listened to the team talk amongst themselves. Unbeknownst to her, the whole team had a silent agreement and vowed to look out for their manager and prevent any further harm from happening to her.

**After all, they were family now.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I exhausted my once-nonexistent-insult-dictionary for this. I had to search variations of insults that wouldn't result in them having to swear. Though swearing gets the point across, there a lot of wonderful, classy and sassy insults that are much more colorful to use. Which I found out whilst doing this chapter. I was opened to a new world.


	3. Chapter 3

There were only a few days left before the InterHigh Prefecture Tournaments, and Emi was beyond excited as this would be her first game with the team. She was buzzing with so much energy, that Coach Kurosu had to assign her with receive practice instead of Coach Oomi, to relieve some of the excess energy. Unexpectedly, it went better than Coach Kurosu had expected.

They were all very much aware that Emi played volleyball, but never actually witnessed her in action. To say that they were surprised would be an understatement, they were astonished, albeit a little frightened.

It was supposed to be a normal exercise, Emi spikes and they receive, simple. They weren't prepared for the level of difficulty that entailed with receiving a spike from Emi. Everything was spot on, the spike, their forms. But for some unknown reason, the moment the ball made contact with their arms, it would go in an entirely different direction than they had expected it to go.

"Wha—Just what is happening?!" A third year exclaimed.

"Why can't I make it go where I want it to?!" The team's regular Libero questioned looking at his arms in distress.

"What are you?!" Her fellow first years shouted in unison, pointing at her in accusation.

"Oh, sorry… Hehehe…." Emi said bashfully, looking down as she sheepishly rubbed her arm.

"The excitement was getting to me I guess, since I don't have to run around and just directly spike the ball. I tried to hold back, but I don't think it did anything." She said timidly, still looking anywhere but the team below her.

Meanwhile, they were all just looking up at her gob smacked. How else were they supposed to react in this situation?! Even their defense specialists couldn't return the ball properly!

"Okay we'll continue with this. If you guys can properly receive and return the ball more than once, you can rest." Coach ordered, receiving determined looks from the whole team.

Practice that day was harrowing. In the end, only a handful of them were able to pick up the ball and return them properly more than once. Regardless of the results, the Coaches viewed it as excellent progress. In light of this recent discovery, the Coaches now had to reconstruct the team's training regime to factor in Emi, and how they could best capitalize on her skills to help improve the team.

The next day, right at the end of morning practice, Coach Kurosu approached Emi and asked. "How are you in aerial battles?"

Emi's eyes sparkled with interest at the inquiry. "Oooh~ Fun~"

Meanwhile, the guys changing in the club room all shivered.

"Is the weather turning cold or something?" Nogi asked to no one in particular, the others wondering the same. They collectively shrugged and continued changing, blissfully unaware of the looming predicament they were soon to face.

At practice that afternoon, the guys were all finishing up their warm ups when one of them voiced out a question.

"Hey, has anybody seen Tsubame-chan?"

Unexpectedly, it was the Coach that answered. "Oh, she should be here in a bit."

And true to his words, the doors of the gym opened to reveal Emi in all her glory, hair tied in a low ponytail, wearing volleyball shorts and the Inarizaki High P.E. T-shirt.

Emi smiled brightly as she skipped her way towards the Coaches. As she stopped in front of them, she made a _'tadah~'_ gesture with her hands on either side of her body.

"Aren't you glad that they had a spare, sensei?" Coach Oomi gladly questioned, pertaining to the shorts they borrowed from the girls' volleyball club.

"Good, it fits." Coach Kurosu nodded in approval at Emi. "Warm ups?" He questioned, and earned himself two thumbs up in confirmation.

"Now." He turned to address the team. "Emi here has agreed to once again help you guys with practice. Be grateful."

His words caused their brains to short circuit for a moment, but before any of them could say anything, the Coach continued.

"We only have 15 minutes of her time, so make the most out of it. Today we're doing blocking practice. Let's start with one-on-one blocks first." Coach Kurosu dismisses, clapping his hands and ushering everyone to their designated places.

The guys lined up at one side of the court in their usual order, with their Liberos stationed at the back to receive the ball, and Emi and Coach Oomi on the other side of the net. Receiving the signal from = Coach Kurosu, Emi made her run-up as Coach Oomi tossed the ball in the air. Nogi on the opposite side of the net, jumped to block. Emi stopped just before the net a second later, and then put all her weight in the balls of her feat and jumped. **High.**

The guy's jaws dropped at the height of her vertical reach. They were brought back out of their daze by a resounding boom that echoed inside the gym as she smacked the ball passed the block.

Emi landed with a happy sigh. "It's been a while. That felt good. Next please!"

The same thing happened to the rest of the guys, so Coach Kurosu decided to switch it up and make it a two-man block. But Emi still managed to get passed the block with either a super straight shot or a cross. Not to mention, she was constantly messing with the timings of her jumps, that it was hard for the guys to predict her moves. When they went into three-man blocks, the guys were confident that they'll be able to _at least_ make it a _little_ harder for her to get across. And yet she still did.

While all this was happening, several thoughts were running through their minds.

_"Man~ I really wanna toss to her!" – Atsumu_

_"I can't read her, dammit!" – Half of the others_

_"Is this how it feels like to play against me?" – Suna_

_"Ugh~ And just when I thought I got it. Why?!" – The other half_

The Liberos were having it the hardest. They were forced to run here and there, as Emi spikes in unpredictable places. But even if they were able to somehow place themselves in the right route, getting the ball up was another battle in and of its own.

The coach blew the whistle signaling the end of their practice with Emi, much to the relief of the guys. The Coaches looked to Emi and asked if she was alright.

"I'm good…." Emi panted as she drank from her water bottle "…..Just in time." She finished as she wiped away the sweat on her forehead.

The guys were quick to notice her haggard state, and it made them worry for her health, thinking if she pushed herself too much because of them.

Coach Kurosu assessed her to see if she was telling the truth, after a moment he nodded. "You should start on your cool down exercises then."

Emi nodded in understanding, capping her water bottle and starting on her light jog around the gym, as the guys continued on with their usual practice routine.

A little while afterwards, as everyone was cleaning up for the day, the guys approached Emi and asked the main question on their minds.

"Man~ Tsubame-chan what kind of people did you play with?" Nogi questioned, eager to know more about their manager.

"Uh…. Normal really motivated people?" Emi answered looking a little confused at the varying degrees of expressions on their faces.

"There's no way they could be classified as normal, if that's how you play!" One of the third year's exclaimed, earning nods of agreement from the rest, to which Emi just shrugged.

Atsumu interrupts the conversation by stepping in front of Emi with an excited glint in his eyes along with a wide smile, requesting. "Emi-chan~ Would you allow me to toss for you one of these days?"

Emi—being the agreeable and passionate about volleyball person that she is—happily said yes. "Haha, sure!"

—~~~—

The preliminaries had been going so well for the team, and Emi was so proud of her boys. They powered through the matches, and now only the Semi-finals and Finals were the only thing in their way, before they could hold the title and honor of playing at Nationals as Hyogo's Representatives.

The whole team was in a corner, relaxing in their own ways before the match. While the Coaches and Emi rechecked their equipments in preparation. Seeing as everything was in order, she excused herself from Coach Kurosu to go on and fill the rest of the other extra water bottles, just in case. He gave her his permission, with that she moved to gather the few bottles in her arms and walked to where the water fountain was.

Unfortunately, the team didn't have the foresight to prepare in accordance to the sudden explosion of popularity of the Miya Twins. The fangirls at school left her alone because of the warning issued by Kita, but the same couldn't be said for the ones that were outside the school.

Emi was alone dutifully filling the water bottles, when suddenly she was surrounded by a mob of girls. They began ganging up on her, sprouting mean comments and what not, throwing whatever they had on hand, spurred on by the anger and jealousy clouding their minds.

Thankfully, a few members of the Inarizaki High Cheer Squad were passing by and saw what was happening. They immediately ran to where the boys were and frantically explained what happened. The boys, alarmed, ran urgently, leaving the Coaches to watch their luggage.

 **"What do you think you're doing, you oinkin' pigs?!"** Atsumu furiously yelled as they came into view of what was happening.

"A—Atsumu-sama!" They stuttered in surprise at the sudden arrival.

"Get away from her." Osamu snarled, looking absolutely disgusted with the group.

"We do not appreciate you maltreating our manager." Kita said as he leveled the group with a hardened glare, who froze under his stare. He didn't pay them any mind as he approached the trembling form of Emi and took her by the arm away from the commotion. While, the rest of the guys gathered the water bottles that were sprawled on the floor because of the whole ordeal, and followed after the two. Pointedly ignoring the group.

They walked back towards their place, where they were greeted by two very silent but furious Coaches, at the state of their manager. She was extremely disheveled, her hair was tousled and her clothes were slightly rumpled. All in all, the image did not sit well with any of them. They chose to keep quiet, in fear that if they open their mouths, they might say something that Emi might not react well to. Knowing her personality very well, by now.

Atsumu, on the other hand, proceeded to reach into his bag, pulling out a comb and started to fix her hair, as Kita respectfully righted her team jacket back in place.

"Are you alright?" Kita asked as he scanned her for any harm they may have inflicted.

But instead of answering him, she says "I'm sorry."

Atsumu pauses in his combing to look down at her, and asks "What are you apologizing for?"

"I've troubled the team." She voices apologetically with her head down.

"You did no such thing. If anybody was causing trouble, it was those girls." Kita was quick to disagree, and rightfully so.

"Kita-san's right, Emi-chan!" Atsumu exclaims in agreement, nodding along with the others.

Emi lifted her head up to look at them, and her crest-fallen face made them twitch. But they did not falter, instead they smiled reassuringly at her as she searched their eyes. When her face softened, they simultaneously relaxed and relieved a sigh of relief.

"It seems it is unwise for us to leave you alone, considering what just happened. For the meantime, why don't we have at least one of us with you at all times?" Coach Kurosu suggests to the group.

"Of course, we will only follow through if you're comfortable with it." Kita voices, putting her comfort first above all else.

Emi contemplates for a bit before she nods in acceptance. Putting the whole ordeal behind them, the team puts their focus back on preparing for the game ahead of them.

At the end of it all, despite what transpired, the team won the title and will be going to Nationals. There were no further issues encountered for the rest of the day, nor any at Finals the next day, which was a relief to all. As they celebrated their win, all of them knew all was right with the world again, when they saw Emi smiling cheerfully and proudly at them.

They had failed once, and there was no doubt in their minds that there was no room for further error. If this was the way they could somehow repay all the work and time she has invested in them, then they would gladly do so without a second thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was it alright? I know I jumped the time-skip but...yeah. Did anyone get the reference I used? Anybody have any ideas/guesses as to who she played with? Inarizaki Family dynamics let's go!


End file.
